The driest desert on earth, the world’s longest exposed mountain range – Dakar 2009 is full of superlatives demanding exceptionally skilled drivers as well as vehicles and technical equipment able to meet the toughest requirements. On January 3, 2009, the most sensational of all rally events will begin in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Henkel will be at the starting line for the fourth consecutive time.

The Dial Corporation, a company of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, a mainstay in the community for more than 30 years, moved into their new North American Consumer Products operations at One Scottsdale on Monday, December 15, 2008, located at 19001 N. Scottsdale Rd., northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and the 101 Freeway. The new operations will be home to over 800 Henkel employees.

For formulators of high performance wood, vinyl, metal or concrete coatings, Henkel Corporation has introduced two versatile and durable translucent aliphatic waterborne urethane resins used in formulating industrial water-based coatings. 

Henkel Corporation has introduced a line of single-component light and moisture curing silicone adhesives designed for use on medical devices that incorporate silicone materials or require highly flexible bond joints or coatings.  All three products in the line cure within 30 seconds on exposure to a suitable UV/visible light source.

As a result of Henkel's acquisition of the National Starch businesses in April 2008, Henkel has expanded its metal solutions with the addition of the Acheson prodcut lines. Acheson specialty coatings, process lubricants and lubricant application systems are now exclusively available through Henkel.

At the first ever German Sustainability Congress, the award for Germany’s “Most Sustainable Brand” went to Henkel, providing the company with yet another major accolade for its activities in this field.

Henkel’s MIT initiative (Make an Impact on Tomorrow), which supports the volunteer work of Henkel employees and retirees, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The record is a proud one: More than 5,000 Henkel volunteers have been involved in some 7,000 projects in more than 110 countries.

Known for its strength, versatility and million-and-one uses, nearly everyone can name an instance where duct tape has saved their day. Those entering the Duck® brand duct tape Saves the Day Contest, sponsored by Henkel Corporation, had the chance to win $5,000 for the best and most original use of duct tape. It was Sgt. Joshua Roach, a soldier from Boise, Idaho, who took home the $5,000 grand prize and a year’s supply of Duck® brand duct tape for his unique use of the sticky stuff.

Visitors at the 2008 AAPS Exposition have an opportunity to learn about Henkel’s innovative new drug delivery adhesive systems.

Henkel has agreed to sell in total approximately 67.1 million shares of Ecolab common stock, as a result of the public offering of its stake in Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, and the share buy back by Ecolab. Henkel will receive aggregate proceeds of approximately $2 billion (about 1.6 billion euros) before taxes and expenses.

In a move that merges trusted brands, innovative solutions and exceptional service for customers, Henkel Corporation acquired the National Adhesives business of National Starch and Chemical Company.  This acquisition enables Henkel to offer customers more choices of brands and products for case and carton sealing, hot melt and liquid labeling, and palletizing.

Strong sales growth of 12.0 percent / Growth regions: sales plus 24.1 percent / Organic sales growth: 3.5 percent / Adjusted operating profit (EBIT): plus 6.3 percent / Adjusted earnings per preferred share: plus 3.5 percent

For use on threaded fasteners located on food- and beverage-processing equipment, Henkel Corporation has introduced Loctite® 2046™, a medium strength, removable two-part anaerobic threadlocker that fully complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and with all applicable food additive regulations including 21 C.F.R. 175.300.

The public has spoken, and Aplington-Parkersburg High School (A-P), Parkersburg, Iowa, is the deserving grand prize winner of $25,000 in the Henkel Helps Schools Contest. The high school was destroyed by a tornado this past spring, and will use the money to replace lost and damaged classroom supplies, such as textbooks, desks, computers and more.

Trick-or-treating just got a whole lot stickier with the addition of duct tape to the lineup of homemade costume ideas. The Duck® brand duct tape "Stick or Treat" Halloween Costume Contest challenged participants to craft their Halloween costumes out of duct tape for the chance to win cash, and Josh Keen, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., is reaping the rewards of his creativity with his "Scarlet Macaw" costume.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the average price of natural gas homeowners can expect to pay this winter is about 40 percent higher than last year. News like this is not very encouraging to Americans who already have to cope with rising fuel and food prices. But there are several simple ways homeowners can save money and lower energy costs, like increasing their home's energy efficiency through weatherstripping.

To add on to its already expanding résumé of quirky uses, Duck® brand duct tape will sponsor the “fashion show” portion of The Sportsman’s Blue Tarp Duct Tape Ball at the Settler’s Bay Lodge in Wasilla, Alaska, on Oct. 4, 2008. And while Governor Sarah Palin may be absent from the festivities, her hometown will be showing up in style with blue tarp and duct tape outfits.

Whether it’s a birthday, holiday or wedding occasion, wrapping presents is often a time-consuming part of the celebration. Between the wrapping paper, scissors, ribbons and bows, wrestling with a tape dispenser seems out of the question. Henkel Corporation, marketer of the Duck brand, is helping to eliminate the struggle of gift wrapping with its new Duck® brand OneHanded™ Invisible Tape.

The second you hit the lights, they scurry across the floor, hugging corners and cracks, running for the shadows. For apartment renters, cockroaches are a nuisance that can be the stuff of nightmares. An infestation can drive you to hiring costly exterminators, and many people don’t realize these little pests can potentially cause health problems, like asthma.

Do you remember your mother telling you to wash your hands, saying, “A little soap and water never hurt anybody”?  Based on findings from the Dial Complete®  brand’s Campaign for Clean Hands survey, you remember quite well. 

Henkel’s leading international position in sustainability ratings was confirmed once again by the company’s inclusion in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market segment of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified indoor air quality as one of the top five most urgent environmental risks to public health. From allergens to mold to carbon monoxide, healthy indoor air quality is an important concern in any home since people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, according to the EPA.

Henkel Corporation (www.henkelna.com) has introduced an industrial-strength, phosphate-free acid pickle, Bonderite® Deoxidine® 216™, designed to clean inorganic soils off of metal surfaces.

Does your school's gym need a makeover? Could the library use an updated collection of books? Perhaps the cafeteria is desperate for new chairs? If any of these sound like a need of your school, there could be help on the way from Henkel, one of the country's largest marketers of household brands, including Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Renuzit® air fresheners, Loctite® adhesives and Right Guard® antiperspirants.

Strong sales growth of 11.4 percent / Organic sales growth: plus 6.1 percent / Adjusted operating profit (EBIT): plus 7.8 percent / Sales in growth regions: plus 19.5 percent.

With the well-respected die attach brands of Hysol® and Ablestik®, Henkel has long been recognized for consistently pushing the bar higher when it comes to advanced semiconductor materials development.  This pioneering philosophy has led to the development of yet another groundbreaking materials advance and the launch of Henkel’s Ablestik 8000™ Wafer Backside Coating™ (WBC) technology.

For flexible bonding applications, Henkel Corporation has introduced Loctite® 5510™ Adhesive/Sealant and Loctite® 5570™ Adhesive.  Highly resistant to vibration, movement and impact, these permanently elastic, primerless formulations bond and seal a wide variety of dissimilar substrates including metals, glass, nylon, and plastics.

Following its acquisition of the Adhesives and Electronics Materials businesses from National Starch and Chemical Company, Henkel today named the executive team that will lead its electronics group as it continues to advance materials technology and become the premiere materials partner for electronics firms worldwide.

For use on threaded assemblies continuously exposed to extreme temperatures, Henkel Corporation has introduced Loctite® 2422™ and Loctite® 2620™, two threadlocking adhesives formulated to withstand heat and stress to 650ºF.

Henkel Corporation has introduced a full line of adhesives and sealants for use on micro-to-large, stationary or portable fuel cells.  Henkel products are compatible with membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and include structural adhesives for metal and plastic bonding, threadlockers, thread sealants, seam sealants and general purpose adhesives.

Henkel Corporation has introduced an energy saving, low-temperature cleaner, Bonderite® Ridoline RT-153™, designed to be compatible with both phosphate and phosphate-free conversion coating technologies.  Formulated for use with phosphate-free nanotechnologies such as Bonderite® NT-1™ and Bonderite® TecTalis™, the new cleaner can also be used on zinc, iron and magnesium phosphate metal pre-treatment processes.

Henkel of America, Inc. has relocated its North American corporate headquarters from Gulph Mills, Pa. to Rocky Hill, Conn. effective July 1, 2008.  The move will create approximately 80 new jobs in the state.  

Henkel Corporation, Professional and Consumer Adhesives, manufacturer of professional adhesives and sealants under the Loctite®, PL®, Pro-Series® and Polyseamseal® brands, has announced a price increase that can reach a level of 20 percent depending on the category effective for August 1, 2008 shipments.

As the company continues to expand in both established and emerging electronics manufacturing regions, the electronics group of Henkel today announced a new partnership to extend its presence in South Africa. The materials leader has signed on PEM Technologies to represent its line of Loctite® brand electronics adhesives in the growing South African region.

Committed to promoting electronics material advancement in the burgeoning China region, Henkel and Shanghai University, in conjunction with several leading research universities, have entered into an agreement to form a Shanghai Region Joint Electronics Research and Failure Analysis Center.  The official signing ceremony marking the commencement of the partnership took place on June 10, 2008 at Henkel Asia-Pacific and China Headquarters in Shanghai, China.

General Motors Corporation and Henkel  have joined forces to launch the first global, full production trial of Henkel’s new conversion coating process, TecTalis, at GM’s manufacturing facility in Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil. Henkel’s TecTalis conversion coating process is the automotive industry’s first non-phosphate conversion coating for multi-metal bodies. This technology is projected to cut GM’s process costs, and improve efficiency of the vehicle assembly pretreatment operation while reducing the environmental impact.

In an effort to reduce end-user processing time, labor costs and packaging waste, Henkel Corporation has begun to offer select Technomelt® brand hot melt adhesives in new finger-sized, ready-to-use packets.  These convenient packets load directly into the dispensing tank where the packet’s dry outer casing melts with the adhesive.

The Henkel Beach Volleyball Grand Slam Tournament 2008 will be held in Paris from June 16-22. This year is the fourth time the Beach Volleyball Grand Slam Tournament will be held in the French capital. And for the third time, Henkel is the main sponsor of the event, and will present its corporate brand name and seven product brands: Fa, Mir, Le Chat, Pattex, SuperGlue, Loctite and Schwarzkopf.

Henkel’s socially responsible corporate management practices have once again been recognized by an independent body. Henkel has been named to the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list.

Thomas Geitner (53), who has been a member of the Henkel Management Board since March 1, 2008, will assume responsibility for the Adhesives Technologies business sector, effective mid-June. As already announced in February 2008, Alois Linder (60), Executive Vice President Adhesives Technologies, will resign from his office at his own request. 

Henkel is the new sponsor of the M-Tel Beach Masters in Bulgaria. With Henkel, the relatively new tournament, which took place for the first time in 2007, has an experienced sponsor supporting the event.

The aerospace group of Henkel recently increased
manufacturing capacity at its Bay Point, Calif. facility.

Henkel recently appointed Luigi Cusano as director of
operations and Luis Perez as supply chain manager

 Henkel has earmarked assistance totaling 150,000 euros to help the victims of the recent devastating earthquake in China.

Traditional residential and commercial building construction relies upon labor-intensive assembly methods involving costly hardware.

Henkel’s new film adhesive, Hysol® PL 7000™, an epoxy film adhesive, performs well even with pre-cured laminates that have been exposed to high humidity environments prior to secondary bonding.

The aerospace group of Henkel recently announced that Hysol® EA 9895™ composite bonding film received qualifications for Airbus and Goodrich, and is in qualification at Boeing.

Henkel, an official sponsor of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, donated $25,000 to Canadian children’s charity, KidSport™, today.  Now more Canadian kids will have access to play the country’s national pastime, hockey.

To free seized or corroded assemblies, Henkel Corporation has introduced Loctite® Freeze & Release, a low viscosity, spray-on lubricant designed to shock-freeze metal parts, allowing lubricating oils to penetrate into rust layers.

Robust organic sales growth of 3.3 percent / Operating profit (EBIT) adjusted for foreign exchange: plus 2.5 percent / Earnings per preferred share (EPS): plus 6.3 percent / Growth regions: 16.2 percent organic sales growth.

Many design, manufacturing and repair professionals rely upon anaerobic adhesives and sealants every day to make their jobs easier.  Many are searching for information on alternatives to mechanical fasteners, sealants and gaskets.

For the second year in a row, Henkel is an official sponsor of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, which takes place in Canada from May 2-18, 2008.  The competition features 16 national teams, including the U.S. and Canada, battling for the title of world champion at events in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Québec City.  This is the first time the IIHF’s flagship championship is being held in Canada.

For a wide range of flexible metal bonding applications, Henkel Corporation has introduced Terostat® 7100™ Adhesive/Sealant and Terostat® 7700™ Adhesive, primerless, permanently elastic formulations used to bond and seal dissimilar substrates and resist vibration.

Henkel has joined the international Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as an official member effective April 2008.  For decades, Henkel has been an active proponent of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. This includes committing to the use of renewable raw materials and promoting resource conservation.

To offer added protection and stability for a wide range of electronics applications, Henkel has developed and made commercially available Loctite® 5210™, a new fast cure thixotropic silicone material ideal for devices that find end-use within harsh environments.

It’s neat.  It’s clean.  It’s fast.  And it couldn’t be easier to carry or apply.  New Loctite® QuickStix™ 7088™ Primer is the first semisolid primer available to enhance the performance and speed the cure of anaerobic machinery adhesives used in threadlocking, thread sealing, gasketing, and retaining applications.

From all across the country, Canadian children offered their opinions on what playing strong, clean and fair hockey means to them and an eight-year-old Mississauga boy has emerged the winner of the national Henkel Play Clean...Play Fair contest.

In what is truly a ground breaking material advance, Henkel Corporation has developed a new reflow cured encapsulant material that combines flux functionality and underfill protection into a single material.

For medical bonding, potting and sealing applications, Henkel Corporation has introduced a rapid curing, highly flexible visible light cure adhesive formulation, Loctite® 3974™.

Effective at the end of Henkel’s 2008 Annual General Meeting today, Kasper Rorsted is the new Chairman of the Management Board. Having reached the internally agreed age of retirement, his predecessor, Ulrich Lehner, resigned as of the same date.

Today’s Annual General Meeting of Henkel KGaA in Düsseldorf provided around 2,500 shareholders with an overview of the company’s development and performance in fiscal 2007.

Bathroom and kitchen mold has met its match.  Henkel Corporation introduces Polyseamseal® Ever Bright™ Silicone Sealant, the first proprietary silicone formula designed with a triple action protection system to defend the cured silicone sealant against mold for five years after application.

Henkel Corporation introduces Polyseamseal® EST™ SPEED SEAL™ silicone sealant, a 100-percent silicone kitchen and bath sealant that will leave you singing in the shower in just two hours after application. 

Market-leading electronic materials company, Henkel Corporation, continues to prove its commitment to developing inventive and process-enhancing materials technologies and last week this effort was recognized as the company received three prestigious awards during the APEX event in Las Vegas.

For appliance and HVAC assembly, Henkel Corporation has introduced a new spray-grade, water-based adhesive for wet-bonding insulation to metal ducts and cabinets. Flame retardant Adhesin® 56-5545™ provides excellent wet-tack and offers UL Class 1 certification.

Henkel’s Aquence™ coating technology has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California protection authorities for use in local manufacturing facilities.

Henkel recently announced the reorganization of its automotive division to better align Henkel’s vast product portfolio with specific customer needs.

Henkel will display its innovative automotive solutions at the 2008 SAE World Congress at Cobo Center in Detroit.

Henkel has taken over from Akzo Nobel the Adhesives and Electronic Materials businesses previously owned by National Starch.

In greater numbers than ever before, consumers are seeking natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals in their home and personal care products.  In response to this “green” trend, Purex® has introduced Purex Natural Elements, the only major laundry detergent recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Designed for the Environment (DfE) program.

After the cancellation of the Dakar Rally 2008 – a decision fully respected by Henkel – Henkel is continuing its successful partnership with off-road racing as Official Partner to the Central Europe Rally. At the first run of the new Dakar Series, the company’s brands Loctite® and Teroson will again be part of one of the most challenging rally-raids.

Henkel Corporation has announced recent improvements to Loctite® 455™ Prism® Instant adhesive, a low odor, low blooming cyanoacrylate adhesive. The reformulation of Loctite® 455™ Prism® has resulted in faster, more consistent cure times throughout its shelf life, and the ability to bond a wider variety of materials including metals, plastics and elastomers.

Energy consumption down 21 percent, water consumption down 15 percent, and waste down 32 percent – profit and sales up. These are three results of Henkel’s sustainability performance over the past five years, as presented today at a Sustainability Press Conference in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Henkel has always been committed to ensuring both the quality of its brands and the sustainability of its operations. Under the ‘Quality and Responsibility’ banner, Henkel has now launched a comprehensive quality and sustainability initiative, with all laundry and home care products from Henkel aligned to exceptional product performance combined with the best possible environmental compatibility.

Henkel is commemorating the tenth anniversary of its MIT (Make an Impact on Tomorrow) program, which supports employees and retirees involved in volunteer work. By establishing the MIT initiative in 1998, Henkel became one of the very first German companies to declare the volunteer involvement of employees and retirees to be a key element of its corporate culture and corporate social responsibility commitment.

The outstanding achievements by Henkel towards sustainable development have once again been honored by an independent body: Henkel is the winner of the “ESG Award 2008” in the category DAX (German Share Index) Businesses.

Henkel Corporation has introduced the first low temperature, solvent and phosphate-free industrial cleaner formulated to remove difficult contaminants from plastic and composite surfaces.

A new medium strength gel threadlocker from Henkel Corporation, Loctite® 2033™, is packaged in a unique bottle designed to deliver both pinpoint and wide coverage dispensing options.

Hand washing is well recognized as the primary defense against infection and illness.  As a matter of fact, people wash their hands an average of 8 to 10 times a day, even more if dealing with food, children, or equipment. This raises the question of whether all soaps work equally well in the fight against germs and helping people stay healthy. 

Sales up 2.6 percent to 13.07 billion euros / Organic sales growth of 5.8 percent / Operating profit (EBIT): up 3.5 percent to 1,344 million euros / Net earnings for the year: up 8.0 percent to 941 million euros.

Against the background of changing market conditions, especially with regard to ever stronger competition and increasing cost pressure, caused among others by markedly rising raw material prices, the Management Board of Henkel KGaA has decided the basics of an efficiency enhancement program.

 The Management Board of Henkel KGaA decided to undertake the divestiture of all or part of its stake in Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota.

Based on its commitment to success and ability to meet a set of challenging objectives, the electronics and industrial groups of Henkel have been awarded Prime Source Awards from Atlanta, Georgia-based EIS, a leading electrical/electronics industry distributor.

Henkel Corporation has introduced a new light and moisture curing silicone adhesive designed for use on medical devices that incorporate silicone materials or require highly flexible bond joints or coatings.

Hisco recently named the industrial group of Henkel as 2007 Supplier of the Year for overall business performance and outstanding ability to deliver quality products.

In a pioneering effort, Henkel has announced a 3-year commitment to invest in Arizona State University’s (ASU) Global Institute of Sustainability to work on Life Cycle Impact Analysis (LCIA). LCIA is a process to measure the total environmental impact in every stage of a product’s life, from “cradle to grave.”

Since 1982, Henkel has been challenging its employees to strive for the Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation by creating and commercializing new product ideas. To win the award, named after company founder Fritz Henkel (1848-1930), the ideas must show both a high degree of innovation and proven market success.

Based on its commitment to success and ability to meet a set of challenging objectives, the industrial group of Henkel has been awarded a Prime Source Award from Atlanta, Georgia-based EIS, a leading industrial distributor.

Henkel Corporation has introduced Frekote® WOLO-HL™, a reduced-VOC, semipermanent mold release agent specifically developed for releasing low VOC polyester gelcoat and other tough releasing polyester structures.

For formulators of concrete floor coatings, Henkel Corporation has introduced QWF4744-C™, a breakthrough OH-functional water-based resin for use in twocomponent polyurethane water-based floor coatings.

Alois Linder (60), Executive Vice President Adhesives Technologies, will resign from his office as member of the Henkel Management Board at his own request effective September 30, 2008. Thomas Geitner (52) has been appointed his successor. Geitner will join the Henkel Management Board effective March 1, 2008 and will assume responsibility for the Adhesives Technologies business sector on October 1, 2008.

For light metal substrates, Henkel Corporation has developed a revolutionary multifunctional base coating, Alodine® EC²™ ElectroCeramic Coating, designed to provide exceptional chemical, corrosion, temperature and abrasion resistance while reducing parts processing costs.

At the 2008 SDA (Soap and Detergent Association) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 29 to February 2, 2008 in Boca Raton, Florida, Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector awarded prizes to two outstanding suppliers.

Dr. Juliane Wiemerslage has joined Henkel as Corporate Senior Vice President Human Resources. She reports directly to Kasper Rorsted, Vice Chairman of the Henkel Management Board.

Henkel proudly announces AQUENCE™ as the brand name of its innovative autodeposition coating technology.  This water-based technology recently set new industry precedent by displacing conventional metal pretreatment and the electrocoat process for an entire automotive vehicle body.

Magnets in today’s electric motors are almost exclusively assembled using adhesives, which produce higher quality joints at lower costs than mechanical fasteners.

Handball counts among the most popular ball sports in the world. A total of 16 million German TV viewers watched the World Championship final in 2007 between Germany and Poland. Now the eyes of international sports fans are turning to Norway, where the 16 best European national teams will be meeting head to head from January 17 to 27.

The jurors of the Research/Technology Invention Award 2007 found it no easy task to pick the winners among more than 20 highly promising projects. Finally, eight interdisciplinary project teams were chosen to receive the coveted prize. The diversity of the inventions reflects the powerful research capabilities within Henkel and the broad scope of its scientific base.

Henkel Corporation has introduced Frekote^© 44-NC™ Wipes, a semi-permanent, non-migratory release system that chemically bonds to mold surfaces, forming a microthin film that is stable at temperatures exceeding most molding processes.

Henkel recently announced the appointment of Molly O. Schneider as human resources generalist, supporting 130 employees at its manufacturing facility in City of Industry, California.

Henkel recently announced the addition of five new employees, James Piotrowski, Christopher Signorello, Anthony Valente, Debora Welch, and Robert McNamee at its North American industrial group headquarters in Rocky Hill, Conn. Effective immediately, these additions to the company’s legal team will serve to strengthen corporate law and risk management initiatives.

Effective thermal control for copper leadframe power semiconductor devices is one of the most challenging issues facing package designers and assemblers today.  To address the obstacles that these high temperatures can pose, Henkel has developed Multicore® DA100, a robust and highly reliable dispensing grade die attach solder paste.